Binaural hearing, along with frequency cues, lets humans and other animals determine the localization, i.e., direction and origin, of sounds. The localization of sound sources in a reverberant field, such as a room, using audio equipment and signal processing however remains an ongoing technical problem. Sound localization could potentially have application in many different fields, including, e.g., robotics, entertainment, hearing aids, military, etc.
A related problem area involves sound separation in which sounds from different sources are segregated using audio equipment and signal processing.
Binaural signal processing, which uses two microphones to capture sounds, has showed some promise of resolving issues with sound localization and separation. However, due to the complex nature of sounds reverberating within a typical field, current approaches have yet to provide a highly effective solution.